Agriculture & Food Security

Changes in climate have serious impacts on agriculture and food security. Risks such as drought, pests, and floods can significantly affect agricultural production and rural livelihoods. At the same time, food production also contributes to climate change through the release of greenhouse gasses (GHGs), and it can impact the environment through deforestation and water pollution. The ability to provide enough food for growing human populations using climate-resilient methods is a global challenge, especially in the face of climate change.

SERVIR addresses these challenges by working with agricultural decision-makers at the regional, national, and local levels. SERVIR supports improved cropland and rangeland monitoring, yield estimation and forecasting, and strengthened early warning and anticipatory actions for the agricultural sector.

To address needs related to agriculture and food security, SERVIR applies Earth observations with diverse partners in the public and private sectors. For example, SERVIR uses Earth observations to help countries produce crop maps, which are fundamental inputs for national agricultural monitoring systems and greenhouse gas emissions reporting. SERVIR also leverages satellite-based vegetation and precipitation data and tools to support rangeland monitoring services for pastoralists. Timely and reliable temperature and precipitation forecasts can offer useful information for farmers to help increase yield and income. Crop yield predictions also inform policy and action on food security, such as agricultural insurance assessments or the distribution of aid following droughts.

Other activities include efforts to assess impact and support recovery from market- and climate-related shocks through crop insurance mechanisms, damage assessments, and food security outlooks. Many of these services also enhance the resilience of the agricultural sector by working with the risk financing sector and anticipatory action frameworks.